Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-11-05
THE IDEAL ELECTION.


candidates will be nominated, not in q
dirty grogshop caucus, but in q place
where men can 90 without being nauseated
by the malodor of whisky, onions, cabbage
and tobacco. Amsng all good people in
social life We have now the rule that you
should put the best construction upon
mans actions, and if you cannot say some
thing good of him, say nothing at all.
That rule in the time Of which speak will
be applied to the political campaign. We
will take our candidates and extol all his
better qualities. We will have q picture of
him in his best mood, and a biography
bringing out all the noble deed of his life.
When we speak of the opposing candidate
we will admit all his excellences, but COM
pare the two men, and say our man is bet
ter. Our platform, our speeches, and our
newspaper columns will have nothing that
sounds or
READS LIKE BILLINGSGATE
or Iancor. On election day il the wind
blows from the northwest, and we feel
chilly by standing at the polls, we will
have hot lemonade or mocha. A man will
be as moral and pure on election day as he
4 on sacramental day. If anything is in
volved in the election but the question
who shall have the offices, instead of
standing in political meeting, haranguing
the audience ~ the hour upon questions
not at all involved, we will come out on
the platform and frankly say: Gentlemen,
this is very important election, because
it decides the question of livelihood to a
great many people. There is the Mayors
salary of so many thousand dollars, and
the District Attorneys salary OF so many
thousand, and the Sheriffs salary Of so
many thousand, and the Presidents sal
AIRY of so many thousand, and We have the
great many friends who are now ont of
position, and these men now in Office have
had the emOluments long enough. Now
give us a chance. have, myself, my eye
on an Office, and although l am not can
didate on the ticket now before you,
shall get an appointment under the adj
ministration, and that will be of great
service, tor the fact is, l am hard up, and
| want the lawful salary for some good
position. Some of these men in Office have
had the Opportunity not only disappearing
their families, but laying up something
for a future day. Now give US an equal
opportunity. l have i lovely wife and
beautiful children and some relatives de-
pendent upon my success, and l tell yOu
plainly that my reason for heing on this
platform tonight is not because | am
afraid the American eagle will be shot in
her sublime flight, but because want,
and the presiding officer Of this meeting
wants, and all the vice presidents of this
meeting want, and the committee who got
up the meeting want, and many of these
gentlemen who clap their hands at the
eloquence OF the speakers want
A GOOD, HONEST LIVING
for hard work done in the service of the
city aud country.
There will be no hypocrisy in q speech
like that and nothing wrong. If man
get two thousand or five Thousand or ten
thousand dollars salary in the public serv-
ice it is Just as honorable as though he got
it By selling dry goods or in daily wages
for saving logs.
The ideal electiOneering campaign Of
which l speak may be far distant, but so
far as you and are concerned we may our
selves practice it. Remember that an
election lie is rs bad as any other lie, that
SANDER in November is as bad as SANDER
in June. But few men come out of the
ordeal of city, state or national elections
as good as when they went in.
But l cannot help sympathizng with
the multitudes of disappointed people at
this season of the year, the vast multitude
all over the land who have failed to get
nomination and the vast multitude who in
u few days will be disappointed by non
election. For every position there are at
least hundred candidates, hence of ne
cessity ninety-nine applicants are OF
will be disappointed. By an mex
orable law We cannot have more than
six Presidents in q geDe.atiOn. What
IA discouraging thing to seek the
Presidency when, out Of the Ofe thousand
who think themselves tt for the office,
only five men can get it. There is more
probability that any of them will be struck
with lightning than that they will get to
be President. The time was when men so
much shrank back from the responsibilities
of office that they had by penalties to be
compelled to take it. The court of Plym-
outh in 1892 enacted that whoever should
refuse the Office of Governor should pay
twenty pounds sterling unless he should
be chosen two years successfully, and
whoever should refuse the Office of
Councillor or Magistrate should pay
ten pounds. No more such compulsion is
necessary and the scramble is terrific, not
withstanding all the peril, financial, social,
moral and eternal But if you have mis-
sion in public affairs, advance confidently.
Whatever our hands find to do in any de-
partment of civil or religious duty, let us
do it and that quickly or we will never do
it at all Napoleon said that the Austrians
failed at RivOli because they did not know
the value of ten minutes. have known
men who in some crisis of life, where great
responsibilities converge lost two worlds,
earth and heaven, because they did not
know the value of one minute.